The Auburn Tigers take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Our March Madness odds series has our Auburn Iowa prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Auburn Iowa.
The SEC basketball season involved a number of jarring developments. One was that Auburn, which looked like a top-five seed in the NCAA Tournament in the first half of the season, struggled profoundly in the middle of winter and fell all the way to the NCAA Tournament bubble before grabbing a crucial late win over Tennessee which secured its spot in the field. Auburn is a No. 9 seed, so that win over Tennessee saved Auburn from being a No. 10 or No. 11 seed in the field of 68. Auburn fell a lot of seed lines in February, and Bruce Pearl really couldn't find answers to his balky backcourt and his team's lack of halfcourt offense.
Bruce Pearl teaches effort extremely well. Yet, like a lot of coaches who are good at teaching effort, Pearl has a weakness in the realm of Xs and Os. His halfcourt offenses are not consistent and steady. His point guards don't make good decisions. His sets lack structure and easily devolve into one-on-one play and a lot of hoisted 3-pointers which prevent the Tigers from seeking higher-quality shots. Can Auburn and Pearl engage in a course correction in this NCAA Tournament? We will see how they fare against Fran McCaffery and the Iowa Hawkeyes from the Big Ten.
Here are the Auburn-Iowa March Madness odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
March Madness Odds: Auburn-Iowa Odds
Auburn Tigers: -1.5 (+100)
Iowa Hawkeyes: +1.5 (-122)
Over: 151.5 (-110)
Under: 151.5 (-110)
How To Watch Auburn vs. Iowa
TV: TNT
Stream: CBSSports.com, March Madness app, FuboTV+
Time: 6:50 p.m. ET, 3:50 p.m. PT
*Watch Auburn-Iowa LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Auburn Could Cover The Spread
If you have watched Iowa this season, you know that the Hawkeyes do not have an elite defense and their offense blows hot and cold. If Iowa is not making 3-point shots, its offense breaks down and opponents can put the clamps on them. Remember when Iowa was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2021? Luka Garza gave Iowa a player who could score inside and outside, and who could bend the shape of opposing defenses to free up teammates for easier shots. Iowa doesn't have a brilliant inside-and-outside scorer, at least not on the same scale as Garza. With Iowa not being a strong defensive team — it has never been especially good at that end of the floor under McCaffery — Auburn's flawed offense might actually find open spaces of court in which to operate and get to the basket.
The other really big point to mention here is that this game is being played in Birmingham. It will essentially be an Auburn home game. Auburn fans will pack the building, and that will be a significant advantage for the Tigers against Iowa.
Why Iowa Could Cover The Spread
Auburn is so clunky and disjointed on offense that the Tigers will not expose the flaws and limitations in Iowa's defense. Iowa has an opponent which will not be consistent enough on offense to put the Hawkeyes in a hole. This is a matchup Iowa can work with and ride to victory in the NCAA Tournament.
Final Auburn-Iowa Prediction & Pick
The home-court advantage and the partisan crowd Auburn will have in Birmingham looms as a deciding factor in this game. Go with Auburn.
Final Auburn-Iowa Prediction & Pick: Auburn -1.5
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